MARTS “Šv. Roko Šuo” CD digipak

Label: Dangus – DNG 073
Format: CD, Digipak, Album, Limited Edition
Country: Lituania
Released: 2021
Genre: Electronic, Rock, Poetry
Style: Downtempo, Electronic, Rock, Poetry
 
Unique poetry, music, and graphic art all inhabit this album by Martynas Juchnevičius. Previously, he was the vocalist behind Lituania’s prominent indie rock band LYGIAI LYJA. They were well-known in 1990s, but currently MARTS is his project. He uses it to explore the creative works of his father, Eduardas Juchnevičius (1942 – 2011), who was one of the most interesting and brilliant Lituanian artists in its Atgimimas (National Revival) period.
 
The album offers a glance of a rare transcendental succession, wherein a late father’s poetry is renewed and revitalized in the music of his son. The poems of the elder Juchnevičius are from his 1996 poetry book of the same title, and they are conceptual, intellectual, and deep. The words are not easily grasped at first, and that also applies to the music. The thirteen songs on Šv. Roko Šuo (Dog of St. Roche) are creative connections of psychedelic rock, ambient electronic, and jazzy experimental music, all combined into an original downtempo blend.
 
That strong link between the words and the sound is intended to recall the soul of that surreal time in Baltic culture and art, the idealism of the National Revival period.
 
This album builds upon MARTS’ earlier Semba (2019), which used old recordings of the elder Juchnevičius’ poetry readings, merging them with subtle electronic and ambient soundtracks. Both albums explore themes of ancient Prussia and are very important for Baltic roots researchers.
 
All music and lyrics were recorded by Martynas Juchnevičius in London. Martynas works there as a graphic artist, he have provided great designs of the album.